The Sweetest Things

Lily and I went to visit with Mia this afternoon. While Lil walked around with her mama I stayed and chatted with Mia. She looked great and was even smiling at people today! I didn't get more than a half  smile, but she did reach out for me. When she got a good hold on my hand she fell right to sleep. It was pretty darn sweet. I can't wait to have that bug wire-free and back at home! And I know I'm not the only one with that wish!

Rochester, NY

Bryan and I went up to Rochester, New York, this weekend for a friend's wedding! Congratulations to Ted & Lisa! It was our first Jewish ceremony and it was really beautiful.

High Falls was the venue for the wedding right near downtown Rochester.

Look at those dapper gentlemen.

And on an Oh-So-Happy note, I got to spend the morning with sweet Mia! We read seven chapters of Alice in Wonderland, and Mia was awake more today! She also got moved out of the NICU and ate from a bottle for the first time since surgery! Woohoo! Go Mia Go! Many of you who read my blog have kept Mia in your thoughts and prayers over the last couple of weeks and we all appreciate it so much. Thank you!

Angel Baby

Our sweet Mia had open heart surgery this week and then had her 7 month birthday the next day. Thoughts and prayers for her speedy and uneventful recovery are absolutely coveted. I went up to the hospital today to visit with her. She's so sweet and looks so peaceful but is hooked up to dozens of machines. I didn't think I would get upset when I first saw her, but I couldn't help it. I love that little girl so much and just want to see her get better quickly!
I was so thankful to get to see her and spend time with her today. I got to talk to her for a while and sing some songs to her. Hopefully I'll get to go back very soon.

Mia's First Seven Months in Pictures!

This picture makes me laugh every time.

It's confusing when the other baby won't look at you or talk to you.

Her first hair bow.

Sisters! I love this picture!

Going for a walk in the Moby wrap.

At the beach (and loving it, obviously)

First time eating!

Just chillin with her feet up.

First time in a playground swing!

Watching Lily dance at Rolie Polie Guacamole's outdoor concert.

Mia eating her green spoon at the grand opening of Yogurtland in Newton

And sweet Mia the day before her surgery last week.

Lily and I got to spend a lot of good time together this week. All of the thoughts you can send her way would also be appreciated! I love that little girl too!

The Finger Lakes

Bryan and I spent the weekend at the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. We had such a fun time camping, hiking, and wine tasting! I feel like we learned so much about Reisling, Cab Franc, and Pinot Noir. It was so neat to see this different wine growing region and to learn about how grapes grow in a cold climate as opposed to everything we saw and learned in Napa last year.

We went to a Finger Lakes Riesling & Beer Festival the first night.

The water was so clear. All of the lakes are glacial lakes so they are gorgeous and clear and cold!

The grape vines here were all so lush looking and so unlike California wineries. 

We ate lunch at one of the winery's cafes and it was so yummy! They paired reds and whites with everything we ate and it was all delicious!

One of the tasting rooms we visited.

Camping was fun! We ate really well, but our site needs a little work. We could take some tips from old pros and get some lights and table cloths etc. We only had one sad point when we got caught in a thunder storm at 4am our second night. It stormed and stormed and eventually our tent flooded. It just isn't a great tent for all weather and now we know that.
It was so nice on our first night, too. It was perfectly clear out and Bryan ordered up a meteor shower just for us!

Bryan and his hatchet. So manly!

Best Brimfield Flea Market find to date! I love this dutch oven! Here it is roasting wild rice, chicken, mushrooms and collard greens for dinner our first night.

And here's our pot cooking up beignets for breakfast! What can't this pot do?

Cinnamon-sugar beignets! Not a bad way to start a day!

Our sad, water logged tent. We had to pick it up from the back side and pour it out. You read right, I said POUR IT OUT. 

There are lots of really beautiful parks around Ithaca and Watkins Glen that we visited to do some hiking! The waterfalls were amazing! Two of them even feed into swimming holes. It was pretty cold the day we wanted to swim so we didn't do it, but I would love to go back next summer!

I love this guy so much!

I have to give a huge shout out to Bryan for planning our whole trip. We decided pretty last minute to go and then I got super sick so I wasn't any help. I had a wonderful time and am so thankful to have him as a husband! We celebrated our 8th anniversary last week and I couldn't be happier with where we are and who we are and the fun things we get to do together! Love you, Babe!

If you're in upstate New York anytime, definitely make a point to stop through the Finger Lakes region!